History

After proving to themselves that
carrier operations were feasible for jet aircraft with the de Havilland Sea Vampire, the
Navy formulated a specification for a fleet defence fighter. The RAF issued a similar
requirement and de Havilland decided the requirements were so similar that a single aircraft
could fulfil them both. While Gloster aircraft produced the GA.5 (later to become the Javelin),
de Havilland produced the DH.110. The RAF were edging towards the Gloster aircraft but as an
insurance, five DH.110s were contracted for, plus four for the Royal Navy. These four were
quickly cancelled when the Navy decided that a simpler and cheaper option would be an improved version
of the de Havilland Sea Venom (the standard Sea Venom was shortly to enter service).
The five aircraft for the RAF were also reduced; down to two prototypes - the RAF was also looking at simpler and cheaper
options. Gloster got their GA.5 into the air first, and with that, RAF interest in the DH.110 ended.
However, de Havilland continued working on the prototypes. The first flew on the 26th of
September 1951. A year later this was the aircraft that killed John Derry, his observer Tony Richards and 29
airshow-goers at Farnborough when the wing failed and the aircraft came apart during a rolling pull-up manouevre. After
that, the remaining prototype was strengthened and redesigned slightly over the course of a year
before trials continued.

DH.110 WG240 in 1953; Aeroplane

While the improved Sea Venom project was cancelled, the Navy had a change of mind and decided
they were interested in the DH.110 after all. The second prototype, WG240, underwent carrier
trials, and the Navy liked what they saw. Significant redesign went into the DH.110 to produce the DH.110
Mk.20X; a prototype for a production version that would be designated the FAW.20. Ten
development aircraft were ordered in 1955, the first of which was the Mk.20X - a rush job
with incomplete carrier modifications - e.g. no folding wings. This aircraft first flew on
the 20th of June 1955. Trials with this aircraft went so well a further 35 airframes were ordered.
At the time the forces had a standardised mark number scheme that gave naval variants of aircraft
mark numbers from 20 upwards, so these early Sea Vixens were actually FAW.20s, not FAW.1s. The
first full FAW.20 flew on the 20th of March 1957. While the initial specification
had called for four Aden cannon as well as four Firestreak missiles, the decision was taken to
remove the guns; following fashion no doubt. Unguided air-to-air rockets were fitted instead, in
pop-out boxes. In November of 1957 the first FAW.1 (now that the numbering scheme had changed to
number naval variants starting at 1) was delivered to 700 squadron, which formed a trials unit
(700Y) and tested eight FAW.1s until the unit was re-comissioned as 892 squadron.

FAW.2 plan views; 21st Profile

The twin-boom arrangement gives a
strong hint as to its Venom and Vampire ancestry; a layout the Navy was well used to operating
in the guise of the Sea Vampire and Sea Venom. The side-by-side seating of the Sea Venom was
kept on in an unusual form; the observer nestled in the fuselage below and to the right of the
pilot. The observer's cockpit was known as the coal-hole because of the almost total lack of a
view out of it, and it was not a popular arrangement.

FAW.1 landing onboard HMS Victorious; Patrick J Burke's collection

At the time, the FAW.1 was a very modern aircraft, matching nearly any possible enemy. There
was considerable interest from other countries, including NATO allies and Australia and de Havilland
even had an improved mach 1.4+ version with thin wings on the drawing board but when
the British government went loopy and decided that manned aircraft were obsolete (in the 1957
Defence White Paper), interest evaporated. The supersonic version had been cancelled the year before.
Meanwhile de Havilland worked on improvements to the design; a variant with increased fuel in wing
tip tanks and an extended forward fuselage never got off the drawing board, but the idea of
increasing the fuel load would later bear fruit.

FAW.2 XJ526 firing SNEB rocket pods; John G Ward

In 1963 the improved FAW.2 variant was coming
into service; this had enlarged tail booms that extended forward of the wing leading edge (to
give more room for ECM equipment in the top half of the extensions, and additional fuel in the tip
and bottom halves), Red Top missile capability (which
had limited all-aspect seeker heads instead of the tail-chase Firestreaks) and Bullpup air-to-ground
missile capability. Other more minor improvements were made to FAW.2s as the
variant entered service; most notably, the frame in the middle of the pilot's canopy was removed
to improve visibility, and the observer's hatch became bulged with a frangible window.
On FAW.1s and early FAW.2s the observer's hatch was flat with a tiny window in it. To leave the
aircraft in an emergency, the hatch had to be jettisoned, and could not be ejected through.
Around the same time improved ejector seats were fitted, the hatch cover was redesigned with a
much larger perspex area and made frangible so the observer could eject through the hatch. These
frangible hatches are bulged, and appear on most FAW.2s (e.g. XN685 as shown in the walkaround
pictures section). Unfortunately if your seat failed to fire, this meant you had to try and
escape through the clear part of the hatch, which was a very tight fit. In one sad case,
an observer got stuck half way out and despite frantic efforts by his pilot to free him, ended
up being killed.

The 1960s were truly the
zenith of the Fleet Air Arm and the navy's carrier force, and this power was shown to great effect
in the summer of 1961; Iraq was about invade Kuwait. HMS Victorious moved from the South China Sea
to the Persian Gulf while HMS Bulwark landed marines in Kuwait. Sea Vixens patrolled the skies, and
when a further RN carrier arrived off Aden, Iraq's President Kassem suddenly back-pedalled on his
intentions to invade. If only such prompt action had been taken in 1990...

Another job for the Sea Vixen force arrived in January 1964, when Vixens from HMS Centaur flew
air cover for marines landing to support government troops in Tanganyika. They also provided
protection for RAF transports bringing supplies and equipment. With that crisis passed, and the
navy's carrier force once again proving it's worth, the government went loopy once again. The
1966 Defence White Paper cancelled the navy's hoped-for new carrier CVA-01 (along with many other
defence projects, including the RAF's highly advanced TSR.2 strike aircraft). The RAF had claimed
they could reach any spot on the globe as easily as the navy's carrier force, and the Sea Vixen's
days were now numbered. Ironically, the 'obsolete' carrier force was needed shortly afterward
when Rhodesia declared independence; the navy mounted operations to try and prevent oil supplies
from reaching the country. The RAF's Javelins suffered a number of embarrassing problems when
they deployed to the area and proved completely ineffective.

The Sea Vixen's final job was to oversee the withdrawal of British forces from Aden in 1967.
Sea Vixens of 893 NAS were onboard HMS Victorious for her epic cruise of the far east from 1965 to 1967 and
carried out this task in concert with the Buccaneers of 801 NAS,
Gannets of 849A NAS and Wessexes of 814 NAS. On that particular cruise, Victorious steamed no less
than 83,833 miles and used 75,033 tons of fuel oil!

Flying any carrier aircraft was a dangerous job; the Sea Vixen was no different, and the unforgiving environment
often meant that malfunctions turned into fatal accidents in the blink of an eye. Between 1960 and 1970 no fewer
than 51 aircrew were killed - all casualties of a cold war that so many think was bloodless. The aircraft's
tough construction saved it from destruction on many occasions, most famously when a deck landing gone wrong
resulted in one Sea Vixen hitting several parked aircraft and other deck clutter before staggering back into the
air and landing safely after diverting to a shore base - minus about 8 feet of the starboard wing!

Simon's Sircus logo; team publicity material

As a weapon of war the Sea Vixen was a mixed bag - it was a powerful and relatively quick (just supersonic)
interceptor, but her missiles - particularly in early years - meant stern attacks were required on most
targets (the expected hordes of Soviet bombers descending en masse to take on the carrier group). The observer
had the tricky job of steering the radar and using his twin radar screens to figure out where the target was
and direct the pilot to follow a course leading to interception. The radar's 'look down' performance was
non-existent, so the aircraft had to be flying lower than the intended target - tricky if the target was
coming in at low level, hugging the deck! The type's secondary task of ground attack swapped the crew's roles
somewhat, with the pilot now handling much of the work and the observer reduced to calling out speed and
altitude - particularly in dive attacks, when the pilot's attention was on the gunsight. The pilot's right
thigh was within reach of the observer, and a jab with a suitably pointy object was a useful backup to ensure
a dive was pulled out of in time!

Simon's Sircus display team; team publicity material

Sea Vixens were used by two display teams; Simon's Sircus (named after the team leader, Lt. Cdr. Simon Idiens)
and Fred's Five (also named after their team leader; nicknamed Fred). While short-lived with only around
40 displays put on, Simon's Sircus was regarded by many as one of the best air display teams ever.

In 1972, the last Sea Vixen squadron was disbanded. This retirement was
considered by many to be premature - the airframes had many years of life left to them; though
their weapons systems were becoming increasingly outdated. The draw-down of
the carrier force meant that there were no longer carriers to take all the Sea Vixens, and
with Phantoms coming into service (after a farcical attempt to procure F-111 as a TSR.2
replacement), the naval operation of the last de Havilland fighter was ceased.

D.3 XP924; Peter R March

After retirement
from active service with the FAA, several Sea Vixens were modified to D.3 standard; these were
originally to be drones and have missiles fired at them, but they were far too expensive for
such a job, and ended up being used to train drone pilots in the techniques of flying an
aircraft by remote control. The D.3 conversion process itself turned out to be more expensive
than expected, so very few D.3 conversions went ahead (around five). An even smaller number
of aircraft were converted to a target tug role, being called TT.2s as a result. Thankfully one of
the D.3s survived to become a regular airshow performer - and the most complex civilian-operated
type on the UK register (until Vulcan XH558 was returned to the air).

Visitor Comments

50 people have commented on this page. This is comment section 1 of 5.

Scott Frances from Lincoln

Posted at 11:21pm on Sunday, July 2nd, 2017

Really enjoy reading about the vixen. My dads favourite aircraft when he was in the mob. He sadly passed away in 2011. Did any of you guys work with him or remember him? I think he may have been on 892 with vixens, but could be mistaken. Cheers

Bruce Budd from Pudsey

Posted at 2:29pm on Wednesday, April 6th, 2016

I would like to hear from anyone who came ashore to RAAF Pearce from the Ark in Fremantle 1962. We had an amazing week or so with the intrepid Sea Vixen and Scimitar crews. As Vampire drivers, we were horrified at the smallness of the Ark's flight deck. Hats off to everyone who managed to operate from it.

Richard Moody from France and USA

Posted at 11:54am on Saturday, April 2nd, 2016

For Tim Bull - I flew with Tony and shared a cabin with him on HMS Eagle in 899 Sea Vixens. I was also in VF 121 at NAS Miramar before Tony arrived in 1970.

Do make contact and we can have a chat about Tony. I was very distressed when I learned that he had passed on in 1999. He was a superb officer and a wonderful human being.

Best Wishes,

Richard

Mike Hancox from essex

Posted at 11:26pm on Saturday, February 28th, 2015

I served on 890sqdn FAA from 1963 to 1965
vixen mk1's, two straight commissions on HMS Ark Royal, Ark really was the queen of the seas and 890sqdn the crème of the creme

Paul Scott from Middlesex

Posted at 8:51pm on Monday, August 25th, 2014

Love this 'plane, iconic shape when Britain was great. Sadly, the spoilers limited supersonic performance. I remember seeing a static one outside an MFI warehouse in Christchurch (the MFI warehouse was on the site of the old De Havilland factory where the Vixen was built - since moved elsewhere).

Mike (Muddy) Waters from Sittingbourne, Kent

Posted at 10:31am on Sunday, April 27th, 2014

I was a Leading Air Mechanic with 899 Squadron aboard HMS Eagle in late 1967 covering the Aden withdrawal. We went via Cape Town on the way and back as the Suez Canal was closed due to the Arab/Israeli war. Aterwards we visited Singapore,Australia and Hong Kong.

Luis E Roman from Waterbury, Ct

Posted at 6:34pm on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013

Thank you for taking the time to write the great article. I love all aircraft. I am trying to learn more about aircraft from the UK. Plzs keep the articles coming. Lou

Stu Burgess from Norfolk

Posted at 5:02pm on Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

I remember seeing a Sea Vixen in the fire dump at Abingdon , Oxfordshire in the late seventies ( I was a cadet flying "Chippies" on the other side of the airfield ) with the flying fist insignia on the vertical tailfin , did this veteran survive this ignoble end.

There was also all the old BOAC/BA Vic 10's being converted to be Tankers sat on the dispersals nearby , joined the R.A.F. in 82 but never returned there to see what happened to it.

Stu.

Tim Bull from Lisbon, Portugal

Posted at 10:10pm on Thursday, July 26th, 2012

My brother Tony Bull was an observer on 890 & 766 squadrons around 1966 - 1970, before going to the Phantom on VF121 at Miramar and 892. He later went to the Sea King and non-flying jobs including XO of HMS Arrow and CO of HMS Alderney. After the navy he trained as a lawyer, and he died in 1999 of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 53 (the age I am now). We still miss him and would love to hear from anyone who remembers him from those early days.

Terry Lomax from Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Rep.of Ireland

Posted at 11:06pm on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Was on 766 sqdn. @ Yeovilton, 1967. 899 sqdn on HMS Eagle 1970 to Feb 1972 as OEM(A).22 JSTU Boscombe Down Aug 1968 to Aug 1969, using 'C' sqdn Mk. 1 Vixen for Martel missile trials.Sadly the navy pulled out of this unit early because of a labour govmt, only to get back into it again later to get the Martel on to Buccaneers (809 Ark Royal). Anyone who knew me then, or with 809, get in touch.